laboratory informatics


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and opens up opportunities for manual errors and data integrity issues,’ said Denny- Gouldson. Couple these factors with the intricacies


of setting up security permissions for any sort of externalised project or workflow, and it is understandable that organisations from both sides are calling for much simpler, more streamlined soſtware that can facilitate the process. ‘Essentially, you want to be able to have your partner, collaborator or service provider online within a day, and be able to configure your collaborative working environment and processes for sending, receiving and integrating data, metadata and collaborative processes and protocols, in both directions.’ Many soſtware providers are therefore


turning to the cloud as an enabling platform, says Denny-Gouldson, concurring with Cronin’s comments. ‘We do need to understand that cloud is not the solution, rather it is a way of enabling solutions. Cloud provides the potential to open secure lines of communication between organisations, track processes, streamline data-capture and repatriate new data back into an in-house informatics infrastructure,’ Denny-Gouldson notes. Cloud is also changing the way that scientific soſtware is administered. ‘Gone are the days when you had to have an army of IT people behind the scenes overseeing the distribution of logins and passwords, and managing other security features. With cloud


6 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD


CUSTOMERS CAN ESSENTIALLY CONFIGURE THE REQUIRED SECURITY PERMISSIONS AND ACCESS TO


FUNCTIONALITY TO FIT THEIR NEEDS


we are witnessing a more simplified working environment, in which only need-to-know data is transmitted up to the cloud for sharing with your partners.’ Importantly, security measures should be


in place to prevent the transfer of data by unauthorised personnel. It all boils down to three basic levels of security, Denny-Gouldson suggests. ‘Administrators can sign people on and off the system, contributors can edit and add data, and viewers can only see data that their security level permits. As long as your policies, processes and legalities have been agreed and instigated, then it could feasibly be possible to set up a cloud infrastructure for sharing data within minutes, based on this security model.’ Cloud soſtware is also being designed to be


user friendly, removing the need for time- consuming and expensive training. And as cloud soſtware is generally offered as a SaaS, it


is oſten more easily deployed and configured, with the maintenance and upgrades remaining the responsibility of the vendor. Just last month IDBS launched E-WorkBook


Cloud as an enterprise, cloud-based SaaS platform that Denny-Gouldson claims is ideally positioned to assist collaborative and outsourced R&D. Te platform comprises several modules to facilitate data-capture and analysis, integrated work and resource planning, sample and inventory management, and to support biology R&D and chemistry workflows: ‘Te E-WorkBook Cloud environment can address all the issues associated with externalised and outsourced research. Within that cloud environment we have E-WorkBook Connect, which offers the collaborative environment. E-WorkBook Inventory allows users to create and manage information around samples, while E-WorkBook Request facilitates workflow and process tracking. Its an enterprise-centric environment that connects data from the organisation’s firewall-protected E-WorkBook platform, into the collaborative cloud environment.’ Te availability of safe environments to


facilitate externalisation and collaboration is one thing, but human behaviour plays a huge role in how effective or safe those environments are, particularly with respect to data security and tracking, explains Paul Bruton, senior consultant at UK-based


@scwmagazine l www.scientific-computing.com


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